“” In Oyo, Baba was regarded as the oldest indigene. It was the Alaafin’s most besotted pet. The incumbent Paramount Ruler, met it in the Palace, as Baba was nourished by a succession of Kings, who inherited him as part of the relics of their ancestors. Baba was more than a turtle in status. He represented a part of the oral history of the Yoruba race. Now, the Alaafin has lost an ageless companion””.
In the early 1970s, when Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka wrote his play, Death and the King’s Horseman, he embalmed a portion of Yoruba culture which suggests that there is a connection between the world of the living, the world of the dead and the world of the unborn.
Based on real events, Soyinka narrated how it was a norm for Elesin Oba, known as the king’s horseman, the king’s horse, and the king’s dog to all die in a suicide ritual after the king’s passing. The trio — Elesin Oba, the horse and the dog — were expected to go on to serve the king in the afterlife.
But in Oyo, outside Soyinka’s play, one king’s tortoise, who connected all three worlds presented by the Nobel laureate, defied these odds to become the oldest animal in Yorubaland ( Southwest, Nigeria) today. This animal is none other than the great reptile of Oyo, fondly called Baba (fatherly) — for his length of years.
Baba , historical facts revealed , had outlived many kings.
In the physical realm, Baba, the 420-year-old tortoise, which enriched the Palace of the Alaafin died last Monday. But, the town is not ready to lose it yet, as His Imperial Majesty, Iku Baba Yeye, Oba Engineer Abimbola Akeem Owoade 1, plans to give the animal the chance to remain for another century.
While he was alive, Baba was more than a diapsid. He was arguably the oldest living mammal in the world. He was venerated, loved by the people, who turned his abode in the Palace to a tourist point.
Baba, the turtle, must have drawn its name from the fact that it was the oldest creature. No one could call him by his name, so Baba was adopted, indicating that it was a male. He drew his own crowd. Strong and friendly, Baba was the reason many people trooped to the ancient Palace in its days.
In Oyo, Baba was regarded as the oldest indigene. It was the Paramount Ruler’’s most besotted pet. The Monarch, met it in the Palace. Baba was nourished by a succession of kings, who inherited him as part of the relics of their ancestors.
On Monday ,Baba fell ill, just a little sickness and couldn’t eat anymore. Then he died. Just like that.
Baba was more than a turtle in status. He represented a part of the oral history of the Yoruba race. Now, the Alaafin has lost an ageless companion.
Confirmed oral history asserted that Baba was brought from Oyo- Ile ( Oyo Empire) to the present Palace in Oyo town.
Two Palace officials had the job of looking after Baba’s well-being.
Baba was a tourist attraction as many people trooped into the Palace to see and experience Baba due to its age and strength. It was the reason so many people visited Oyo and the Palace.
According to the history, Oba Owoade is about the 22nd Alaafin that Baba was serving before he passed on.
Baba ate water melon, corn pap wrapped in leaves, and the grass.
He had since been buried .
Good night Baba !
